Mets sign David Wright to seven-year, $122 million extension

After several days of serious negotiations, the Mets have signed Wright to a seven-year, $122 million contract extension, CBSSports.com Insider Jon Heyman confirms. WFAN's Ed Coleman first reported the news. Throw in his $16 million salary for 2013, and Wright will be locked up through the 2020 season at a total cost of $138 million. All of that means that, in terms of total-dollar commitment, Wright's final year plus extension will exceed Johan Santana's six-year, $137.5 million pact.

Wright, age 29, is coming off a season in which he batted .306/.391/.492 with 21 homers and 41 doubles, and he also looked much better in the field than he had in recent seasons. For his career, Wright is hitting .301/.381/.506 with 204 home runs, 322 two-baggers and 166 steals.

Wright, of course, made excellent strides at the plate compared to 2011 levels. For the most part, he improved thanks to a higher contact rate and a batting average on balls in play that was more in line with career norms. In the power department, Wright's home-run/fly-ball percentage didn't improve much, but he bettered his gap-power numbers substantially. All of that's sustainable, and, at least until his decline phase sets in, it's Wright's 2011 struggles that will be the outlier.

Like any superstar contract, this one -- provided the parameters are accurate -- will be more than worth it to the Mets on the front end and more than worth it to Wright on the back end. That's how these things work. In terms of "brand building," though, this is big move for a franchise compromised not only by a run of irrelevance but also by ownership's financial problems.